Computer-based hydro plant scheduling

Louis B. Deziel, PhD

Pages: 1 2 3 4

Hydroelectric power plant managers face unique scheduling challenges. They have a finite amount of water in their reservoirs available for energy production, and they need to schedule generation according to market demand to maximize profits from their limited “fuel” supply.

Hydro power plants are capable of producing products other than electricity. Among them are ancillary services such as regulation and spinning reserve, which plant managers need to consider when they schedule production. Daily and hourly changes in market price and regulatory constraints on reservoir levels are other factors. In the context of this complexity, plant managers must bid their mix of products on an hourly and daily basis, and their offering must be both competitive and profitable.

To optimize this complex production-scheduling problem, most hydro plants rely on general rules and operator experience. However, these methods do not take advantage of economic opportunities that present themselves on a daily and hourly basis.

As the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland Interconnection (PJM) became the most active and liquid market for bulk power in the U.S., Safe Harbor Water Power Corp. (Conestoga, Pa.) recognized the opportunity to use a computerized method of optimizing its production scheduling to maximize its profits. The Safe Harbor station (Figures 6 and 7) is a 12-unit facility with an installed capacity of 417 MW. Immediately below it is the reservoir for the Holtwood plant, which has 10 units with a total capacity of 115 MW.


6. Water under the bridge. The advent of regional, online wholesale electricity markets created an opportunity for Safe Harbor Water Power Corp. to optimize the performance of its hydro plants. Courtesy: Safe Harbor Water Power Corp.